Chapter 19
Gwen had no intention of staying long.
She just needed one book—one stupid, out-of-print, rare-as-a-unicorn physics book the professor swore they’d use this unit. She scanned the rows, reaching up on her toes.
The book was just barely out of reach. She muttered something under her breath about "unnecessarily tall shelves," when—
“Need help?”
She turned, caught off guard.
Miles.
In a beanie and oversized hoodie, earbuds around his neck, holding a coffee he looked like he forgot he had.
“Oh,” she said. “Hey.”
He gave her a half-smile, stepping forward. “That one?”
She nodded, and he reached up effortlessly to grab the book and hand it to her.
“Unfair,” Gwen muttered, taking it. “You tall people have no idea how good you have it.”
He chuckled. “We do. That’s why we gatekeep the top shelf.”
She grinned, hugging the book to her chest. “Thanks.”
There was a brief silence. Comfortable, but buzzing under the surface.
“You… wanna sit?” Miles asked, gesturing to the quiet corner tables by the big windows.
Gwen hesitated just long enough to make herself nervous—then nodded.
They didn’t talk much. Just opened laptops, shuffled notes. Occasionally, she’d glance up to catch him doing the same.
At one point, they both reached for the same highlighter and their fingers brushed.
Neither said a word about it.
But both smiled just a little too long.
Miles didn’t even remember why he came up here.
It was cold enough to see his breath, the skyline glowing soft orange from the city lights. He was crouched on the edge of a building not far from campus, suit half-unzipped, mask off, earbuds in but not playing anything.
He just needed quiet.
Then he heard her laugh.
He glanced down—there she was. Gwen. Sitting at a picnic table outside the dorms, bundled in a jacket, sketching something on her tablet. Amaya was across from her, saying something with big dramatic hands.
And Gwen laughed again. That kind of laugh that makes you feel like you just remembered something important.
Miles didn’t even realize he was smiling.
It was so… stupid. How she tucked her hair behind her ear. How she kept making faces at Amaya. How she kicked her feet under the bench like she was still full of summer.
And then she looked up.
Not at him, obviously. She had no idea he was there. But in that moment, her face caught the light just right, and something in his chest clenched like a fist.
It hit him like a web to the face.
He was so, so in love with her.
Not in the cute, “I like her” way. Not in the lemon tea, shared playlists, blushy smiles kind of way.
It was the kind that made his lungs feel too tight and his heart way too loud.
The kind that made him want to tell her every version of the truth.
He stood frozen for a second, then pulled out his phone. Opened a text to Ganke.
bro
i think i’m in love
Ganke’s reply came instantly.
u think???
miles i been knew
we ALL been knew
Miles groaned and dropped his head back.
God. He was so doomed.
Gwen sat under the same tree they always did. A little off from the footpath, just enough shade to read without squinting, and just enough breeze to keep the city heat bearable. She had a book in her lap but hadn’t turned the page in ten minutes.
She looked up when she heard footsteps.
“Miles!”
He smiled when she said his name like that. Bright and breezy, like it was just a good word to say.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, dropping his backpack beside her and flopping onto the grass. “Chemistry lab ran long.”
“Tragic,” she said, mock-serious. “Did you at least blow something up?”
He gave a half-laugh. “Only my will to live.”
Gwen snorted, and for a second it was just the easy rhythm of their friendship. But then it settled again—quiet, close, calm. She leaned back on her elbows, squinting at the clouds. Miles looked at her like he was trying to memorize the whole scene.
“You okay?” she asked suddenly, glancing sideways at him.
“Yeah. Yeah, I just… I like this.”
“This?”
He nodded. “You. Me. This spot. I dunno. It feels like a pause button on the world.”
Gwen looked at him for a second, then smiled so soft it made his stomach somersault. “Yeah. It does.”
They sat like that for a while. Not needing to say much. Just a shared silence that felt like something sacred.
He almost said it.
Right then. Right there.
He almost told her.
But instead, he reached out and plucked a leaf from the grass. “This is a terrible bouquet.”
She took it, pretended to sniff it, then placed it behind her ear. “Charming. Romantic. Very organic.”
They both laughed—and he decided, yeah, he had time.
Time to fall even harder.
Gwen was on her way back from brushing her teeth when she nearly walked face-first into Amaya.
“Whoa! Hey!” Gwen blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “You’re just standing here?”
Amaya grinned like she’d been waiting hours. “No, I’m leaning casually like a background character with a juicy line.”
“…What line?”
Amaya pointed dramatically at Gwen’s face. “You’re glowing.”
Gwen blinked. “I am?”
“Yes. Like you’ve been kissed by sunshine and secrets. You were with Miles, weren’t you?”
“No,” Gwen said, too fast. “Yes. Maybe. But we didn’t—! It was just talking. Sitting. Laughing. Okay he gave me a leaf bouquet and I put it behind my ear and maybe we talked about the clouds—”
Amaya gasped, smacked her palm to her chest. “Oh no. You’re falling hard.”
“I am not—”
“You’re so in love. This is the flailing kind of crush. The feet-kicking, pillow-screaming, ‘oh my god he smiled at me’ kind.”
Gwen groaned. “I need you to stop being right.”
Amaya walked with her back to the dorm, all smug. “No can do. I’m your best friend and your emotional narrator.”
Inside, Gwen plopped face-first onto her bed with a muffled scream. Amaya just cackled and threw a pillow on top of her.
After a beat, Gwen lifted her head, cheeks pink. “He looked at me like I was the only thing happening.”
Amaya just gave her a look. “Girl.”
“I know.”